SDPD Sgt. Dan Sayasane looks on Friday in La Jolla as a small drone lands in the hand of Medea Benjamin.﻿ ﻿HOWARD LIPIN • u-t

San Diego’s “drone zone” manufacturing hub is under fire from groups opposed to unmanned aerial vehicles carrying out deadly overseas strikes and serving as furtive eyes in the sky for domestic law-enforcement agencies.

A series of small protests that began Thursday in this region continued Friday and is set to culminate this afternoon at the USS Midway Museum in downtown San Diego.

The demonstrations are part of a nationwide effort by activists seeking to focus attention on a growing debate over the technology, one that runs from Congress to think tanks to classrooms. They’re occurring as a business and military coalition seeks to have the region declared as a national test zone for drones, which generate more than $1 billion a year for the local economy.

Early Friday, about 40 people organized by the group Code Pink descended on a La Jolla neighborhood to stage a street protest in front of the home of Neal Blue, chief executive of General Atomics, which manufactures the Predator drone.

Some held signs decrying drones and a man portraying Blue sang “I’m a Drone Man.” Others mocked the business executive’s wealth.

The group conducted a similar demonstration later Friday at General Atomics’ offices in La Jolla before moving to Northrop Grumman in Kearny Mesa, whose products include the Global Hawk drone.

At all the events, protesters chided President Barack Obama for his administration’s use of drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

At Blue’s gated home, demonstrators had to abort their plan to fly a small, drone-like vehicle over the house. San Diego police stopped the craft’s operator, saying a permit was needed for the flight.

A General Atomics spokesman later said Blue was out of town. The company issued a statement saying it was proud of its remotely piloted aircraft, which “protect our troops and support national security.”

“GA is honored that it can contribute in this way while at the same time recognizing the right to demonstrate,” the statement said.

In the past decade, the U.S. military and other federal agencies have increasingly relied on drones for a variety of operations.

They credit unmanned aerial vehicles with launching missiles that have killed terrorist leaders, gathering intelligence from within enemy territory, providing logistic support to U.S. forces in war zones and minimizing death and injury in combat situations that would have resulted in heavy casualties if standard troop operations were used.

Code Pink and groups such as San Diego Veterans for Peace contend that U.S. drone strikes overseas have also killed thousands of innocent bystanders.

They and others also have raised concerns about individual privacy as more police departments and stateside authorities consider using drones for surveillance.

On Friday, demonstrators such as 79-year-old Barbara Briggs-Letson said they hope public protests will serve as a catalyst for greater debate.

“What I want to see is a transparent, national discussion about our use of drones,” she said.

Code Pink cofounder Medea Benjamin said the group had a simple message for drone manufacturers.

“This is not the kind of world we want to live in,” she said. “We think we are beginning to turn the tide on public opinion.”